Louvre buys pacts from the Ottoman era

PARIS - Cihan News Agency

The Ottoman pacts were written to renew the capitulations given to the Republic of Ragusa in 1708 and 1718. CİHAN Photo

Pacts from Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III have been sold to the Louvre, one of the world’s most famous museums, at an auction in Paris.

The pacts, written to renew the capitulations given to the Republic of Ragusa in 1708 and 1718, were bought by the Louvre Museum. The museum, which included the collections of the Sultan Ahmed I in its 2011 collection, paid 108,000 euros for the pacts.

Another piece in the collection, which belongs to Xavier Guerrand Hermes, one of the owners of the world-renowned Hermes bag line, was an İznik tile. The 25-centimeter tile from the 17th century was presented for sale for 5,000 euros, but found no buyer. The İznik tile was previously displayed at the Louvre Museum, and the Culture and Tourism Ministry asked for the return of the tile to Turkey. But the museum refused, claiming the tiles were legally purchased.

Islamic works of work belonging to the Hermes collection were also presented for sale at the auction. Manuscripts of the Quran also drew great attention during the event, with a copy of the holy book from the Mamluk era finding a buyer for 103,408 euros.

Another Quran from the Ottoman period was bought for 5,200 euros.

A 16th-century Persian miniature depicting the Prophet Muhammad’s ascension was sold for 18,200 euros during the sale.

The total revenue from the auction was 1,303,500 euros, according to reports.